Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre (c. 1739 – 24 January 1802) was a well-known and highly regarded

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

artist during the second half of the 18th century.

Career

Although he began and ended his painting career in France—he was a student of

Carle van Loo Carle or Carlé is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Andrea Cosima Carle, whose stage name is Maggie Mae (1960–2021), German singer * Barbara Carle (born 1958), French-American poet, critic, translator and Italianist * David Ca ...

and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin—for many intervening years Delapierre painted in Russia. He was active in Moscow (1767), and later in St. Petersburg (beginning in 1768), where he taught at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

and painted portraits of family members of Petr Borisovich Sheremetev—one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time. In 1770 he achieved the title of “agree” at the Academy for a portrait of

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

, and also became “royal painter”—executing portraits of the principal members of the imperial family. By 1786 Delapierre had returned to France and was well established in Lyon, where he exhibited four of his portraits at the “Salon des Arts” of Lyon (25 August 1786 – 11 September 1786). Earlier, he might have attended the month-long “Salon de 1785” biennial art exposition in Paris that began on 25 August 1785, because this event was enormously popular among artists and art enthusiasts and attracted people from all over Europe.

Mystery

One of his paintings, '' Portrait of a Seated Gentleman'', is the subject of some mystery. The well-executed portrait, dated 1785, shows an 18th-century gentleman sitting at a desk and beginning to write on a single sheet of paper. On the desk in the foreground is a copy of ''De la

Caisse d'Escompte The Caisse d'Escompte () was a French financial institution and bank of issue during the last quarter of the 18th century. It was the next significant attempt to create a central bank following the collapse of John Law's Bank in 1720, and a prede ...

'', a financial pamphlet published on 17 May 1785 by the famous French orator and statesman

Mirabeau Mirabeau may refer to: People * Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau (1715–1789), French physiocrat * Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau (1749–1791), renowned orator, a figure in the French Revolution and son of Victor * André Bon ...

. This portrait is particularly intriguing because it was painted several years before Mirabeau achieved prominence, and because the conspicuous financial pamphlet ultimately had important repercussions leading up to the French Revolution. It is believed by some to be the earliest known portrait of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. The ownership of the portrait prior to 1928 is unknown, as is the identity of the sitter. Both are being researched by Omnis, Inc.Contact the researchers
Mystery Portrait by Delapierre, 1785. Retrieved May 16, 2011

Selected paintings

* '' A Mother Feeding Her Child'', 1782 * '' Portrait of a Seated Gentleman'', 1785 * '' La Fileuse'', 1797

References

*"L'Exposition du Sallon des Arts de Lyon en 1786." ''Gazette des Beaux-Arts'', Vol. 86, December 1975, pp. 199–206. * *BERGER, Benoît. "Sur les traces du peintre Nicolas-Benjamin Delapierre" in ''Bulletin municipal officiel de la ville de Lyon'', 1er octobre 2007, pp. 1–2.

External links

artnet.com
answers.google.com
->
www.mysteryportrait.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delapierre, Nicolas Benjamin 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters French portrait painters 1802 deaths Year of birth uncertain 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists